South Korean teams dominate the Heroes of the Storm Eastern Clash

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Published on: 20/08/2018

The Heroes of the Storm Eastern Clash brought together the best eight teams from Asia, four from China and four from Korea. Right from the start, pundits were counting on teams from South Korea to dominate the competition. Having said this, few expected the crushing manner in which players from this country won the matches. Over the course of three days, they showcased their superior skills and claimed all top four spots and the biggest chunk of the guaranteed prize pool.

No games lost against Chinese teams

The format of the competition involves a double elimination bracket, with South Korean teams playing against Chinese counterparts in the first round. The match-ups were determined based on their ranking, so the best playing team from each area would meet the weakest opponent. Gen.G were favorites to prevail and they made short work of their opponents, setting an example for their countrymen. Ballistix, Tempest and BlossoM followed their lead and all of them have swept the Chinese teams.

In the semifinals, the difference in skill between the first two Korean seeds and the bottom two proved to be just as significant. Gen.G won all three games against Ballistix, while Tempest dropped a single match to advance to the finals. In the Losers’ brackets, Chinese teams played among themselves and Super Perfect Team and Beyond The Game prevailed. They were given a second chance against South Korean opponents, but once again suffered humiliating sweeps.

All-Korean finals at the Eastern Clash

Ballistix and Tempest bounced back right away, winning all three games in the Losers’ brackets to set-up a decisive match. Their series ended up being the most exciting one at the Eastern Clash, with Ballistix offsetting a 2-0 deficit to advance. Meanwhile, Gen.G continued their surge in the superior half and sent Tempest crashing into the lower one. With their confidence crushed, they succumbed to Ballistix in four matches and finished in the third place, ahead of Blossom.

The Grand Final was supposed to be decided in a best of seven series, but Gen.G had other plans. They confirmed their status as probably the best Heroes of the Storm team in the world and swept Ballistix. The series was never contested and three games later it was all over, since Gen.G benefited from the default win. They were the proud recipients of a first prize worth $30,000, while the runners-up only got $20,000 for their effort. Tempest were awarded $15,000 BlossoM got $10,000 for finishing in the 4th place.

In the end, the Heroes of the Storm Eastern Clash wasn’t even a contest to decide the best team from South Korea. Gen.G are so far ahead of everyone that the only real question was if they would drop a match. In the end, they finished with an unblemished 12-0. They matched Team Dignitas’ performance in the Western Clash one week ago. Their victories create a lot of hype for the 2018 Heroes of the Storm Global Championship Grand Finals.